Does Anyone Know the History of the Early Sota Turntables?

I don't know much of the history, but older Sapphires started out with a 3-point suspension. Late models (V and up?) use a 4-point suspension. 15 years ago, I briefly borrowed an older 3-point Sapphire (w/ the gold colored platter), along with the Koetsu-branded Jelco arm, and my very first Koetsu (Onyx non-platinum short body = samarium-cobalt).

The 3-point suspension seemed more "springy" and less stable than 4-points - thus it also seemed more sensitive to footstep disturbances / etc. Star (later called Nova) and Cosmos models always used 4 points. Cosmos is most stable of all (more than my Nova), probably due to the aluminum subchassis' extra mass. But any 4-point SOTA is really, really good. The 3 point tables are still very good, but this is an important distinction IMO. I assume the 4-point might also handle a little more arm mass - though my FR64fx's 2.2 lbs is near its limit (I was told 2.5 lbs max).

In theory, shouldn’t a 3-point suspension be more stable than a 4-point suspension, all other things being equal? I guess all other things are never equal.

OK, David Fletcher was behind both Sumiko and SOTA. The first table Marketed by SOTA was the Sapphire. I had an original one with a Syrinx PU3 Tonearm for almost 40 years and it is still in use in a young audiophiles system. All I ever did was replace belts and lube the bearing. I never had any problem with stretched springs and can only assume these turntables were misused perhaps by using tonearms that were too heavy. The PU3 was a perfect arm for that table. The motor was an AC synchronous with a synthesized drive. You could adjust pitch. The bearing was inverted with a hardened steel ball on a sapphire thrust plate. The platter was aluminum and rang like a bell. I used a felt covered glass mat which was very effective in controlling the ringing. 

This was a landmark turntable. It was the first stable suspended turntable effectively isolating the cartridge from everything over 3 Hz. SOTA would become the first to provide vacuum clamping in a consumer turntable. Through the years the table has maintained it's essential character, but with steady evolution in bearings, platters, mats and drives culminating in the current Cosmos which has a 1" thick sub chassis like an SME. 

Over the years the company has passed through two different owners, the current being Christan Griego. Christan is starting to move the company away from it's core product in a direction some of us might not like. The New Millennium will not be suspended and will allow the use of three arms of any weight. Sota is also working on a direct drive turntable which is also not suspended.  David Fletchers main contribution to turntable design was the hanging suspension tuned to 2-3 Hz. This was a far more stable design that was eventually copied by Avid, SME and Basis. The problem is heavy and /or multiple arms upset the suspension. It would have to be retuned and possibly re springed to accommodate arms of various masses and numbers. Therein lies the real challenge, developing a suspended turntable that will allow the use of heavy and multiple arms without having to resort to major restructuring, something the owner could manage at home. 

Make sure you get a new belt and clean the rim of the platter with brake cleaning fluid until you cloth or paper towel does not turn black. A worn belt will cause a marked increase in wow and flutter. Be very careful with the arms you try. Stick with 9" arms of intermediate to lower mass. The SME IV and V are good examples. Origin Live and Rega arms work well and IMHO the Schroder CB is the best arm for that table unless you can find a Syrinx PU 3 in good condition. I thought so much of my Sapphire that I now own a Cosmos Vacuum table handily the best value in a high end turntable even with the new price increases. 

The version that Mijostyn describes is probably the one my friend purchased as a kit and assembled himself.

@mijostyn It appears that Luxman introduced vacuum clamping on the PD300 in the late 1970’s. Sota released the Star Sapphire in 1984. Apparently, there is also a SOTA GEM which was a precursor to the Sapphire and the first table released by SOTA.

The arm for a SOTA needs to be under 2.2 pounds and fit the landscape of the arm board which precludes these VTA tower type arms such as Wheaton or Reed. Unless you cut and modify the top of the plinth. These suspended tables will never be multi arm ones, I don't know of a suspended table that is easily fitted that way. 

On My SOTA Cosmos Eclipse I put an Origin Live Agile, and Christan built a custom arm board for it that looks like a breastplate underneath in order to make the weight requirements and still be non-resonant.

@lewm I have never heard of a Sapphire being offered as a kit. Nor could I think that motor could spin a 1 inch aluminum platter fast enough to give the impression its coming off the turntable. That sounds like a runaway direct drive motor. But perhaps it was the GEM, as there is so little information out there about it.

As far as this Gen 1 SOTA Sapphire, it certainly is playing well. It makes a great casual table for me. I had a Gen III Star Sapphire a few years back that I got as a proof of concept before I bought my Cosmos, and I used an Audiomods Series Six arm on it with great success also. To be honest, I liked the Audiomods over a SME V that I eventually put on that table and my Cosmos. I am quite tickled with the improvement in sound quality I get with the OL Agile arm over the SME V I had initially mounted.

Now its time to shop for an appropriate platter mat. I have a rubber and cork composite one that does a respectable job. I wish i could find one that is a bit more tacky, something like a modern equivalent of the Platter Matter or even the original Audioquest Sorbothane mats. That would quiet down that aluminum platter nicely.